5 Tips for getting the best logo design

Are you looking for a new logo for your business? Maybe you're after a logo that fits your personal business cards? Whatever the reason may be, this seemingly simple task has plenty of pitfalls. You may think its as easy as drawing a circle and plugging your name into it, but its not that simple. Your logo is going to be seen by hundreds if not thousands of people. What does that logo say to people? What does it say about you? To guide you through this challenging process, I’ve described below the top 5 ways you can get the best logo possible.

Determine what you want to communicate

Too often I see logos that don’t fit their intended company or person at all. For example, I saw a logo for a prominent real estate company once. Before reading the company name I could have told you with 100% certainty that it was a sport fishing company. As a business or individual, we decide every day how we want to communicate to the outside world, from wearing certain clothes to the having an imposing looking office building. If I dress in shorts and flip flops, does that mean I’m going to the beach? The point is, you need to find out -what- you want to communicate so the world so that people can easily see who you are.

Apply learnings from other companies

Coca Cola. Did you just picture the logo in your head? How about Lego? Something big companies do extremely well is innudate your life with their brand so much that you know their logo instantly. Now does your logo need to be as recognizable as these companies? Of course not - the point here is that your logo needs to be recognizable and attractive to your target demographic. How do the logos look from companies in your market? Learn how and what their logos communicate and apply that your own design.

Make it clean and simple

The ideal design is one that instantly communicates an idea. When Nike first started out, they made shoes for track runners. Their swoosh logo communicated to their target market beautifully - it conjures effortless speed. Strive to make your logo communicate easily, that way regardless of size or where you see it, the message won’t get lost.

Choose a good color scheme

We often overlook how much color has an effect on our psyche. Street signs communicate danger, traffic lights communicate actions to take and logos communicate a message, all with clever usage of color. When looking for a good logo, its important to choose colors that invoke the right emotions or make us think about what our next action will be. Your logo should make your target demographic want to reach out to you, so make sure your colors don’t become too bold or too off target.

Having lots of choice matters

So you have a good idea of what you want, but how do you get it? While many businesses and people go the expensive and time consuming route of hiring a specialized designer, there is cheaper and better way - crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing your logo design, often called design contests, allow you to reach out to multiple designers at the same time so you’re guaranteed to get tons of choice at a price that fits your budget. The beauty of this system is that even if you don’t know anything about design or the process you can still get the perfect logo that communicates your brand. While many crowdsourcing sites offer this service for a high price, I tend to think you get more value for your money at sites like Freelancer.com, where you can get tons of options for the price you set yourself.

Ready to get started? Take advantage of the combined logo design skills of over 13 million freelancers worldwide. Get Started Today!